Change of boss tends to improve results, says BBC survey

After dropping just 13 points in his side's first 25 league matches this season, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has emerged as the most effective manager in English football's top four divisions,

However, 19 of the 29 changes in full-time managerial positions during the current campaign have been followed by a rise in the number of points per game won.

The trend is even more pronounced when a club has chosen, rather than been forced into a change of boss.

Eddie Howe's Bournemouth reign came second, while Malky Mackay came in third.

Managerial merry go-round

• Highest turnover of managers by one club in last five seasons: Notts County (seven).
• Shortest managerial stint over the past five seasons: Alex McLeish's 40 days at Nottingham Forest from 27 Dec 2012 to 5 Feb 2013.
• Shortest managerial stint in UK football: Leroy Rosenior lasted 10 minutes at Torquay in 2007 after the club was taken over by a consortium immediately after his unveiling
• Manager with most clubs over the last five seasons: Paul Hart (Swindon Town, Crystal Palace, QPR, Portsmouth)

Howe returned to the Cherries and and has won 41 points from 18 matches since - a return of 2.27 points per game.

At the bottom end of the table, Mark Robson's solo spell at Barnet, before is the worst managerial spell.

Robson is the only manager below former QPR boss Mark Hughes in the table. Hughes left Loftus Road having won just 0.33 points per game this season.

The Welshman was replaced by Harry Redknapp who has returned 1.08 points per game in an apparent vindication of chairman Tony Fernandes's decision.

Paul Hart, currently youth academy director at Charlton Athletic, has had spells in charge of Portsmouth, QPR, Crystal Palace and Swindon over the past five seasons.

He said: "There are too many knee-jerk reactions to results. I think that longevity is ultimately the answer to success.

"People will say I would say that because I am a manager but I have experienced it both ways - coming in half way through a season and leaving halfway though a season.

"There can be a quick turnaround in results when you bring in a new man, but is that maintained? I think that it is often a step forward but two steps back.

"Ultimately a football club needs to look at itself and be realistic in its aims and objectives."

However, QPR's west London neighbours Chelsea have slipped off the pace at the opposite end of the Premier League table after swapping Roberto Di Matteo for Rafael Benitez in their dugout.

Di Matteo, whose failing in the Champions League may have proved his undoing, was sacked with his side four points off then-leaders Manchester City.

That gap from the top has increased to 16 points under Benitez, who has delivered 1.69 points a game - down from Di Matteo's two points a game.

Almost two thirds of instances however have followed the trend set by Redknapp rather than Benitez.

And in the 22 cases where a club has actively chosen to change managers, rather than their boss leave, on 16 occasions, or 73% of the time, a the team has then accumulated points at a faster rate.

The biggest improvement has come under Howe whose return to Bournemouth has seen the club rise from 16th to fourth.

The 35-year-old has returned 2.27 points per game - an improvement of 1.47 points per game on what was achieved by his predecessor Paul Groves.

Blackburn's decision to appoint Henning Berg in the wake of Steve Kean's departure has done the most to hinder a side's momentum with Kean's two points per game slowing to 0.6 under the Norwegian before his dismissal after 57 days in charge.

Pat Nevin has experienced a change of managers from both the dressing room and the board room.

The former Chelsea and Everton winger spent four years as Motherwell chief executive after retiring from playing.

Managerial changes by division

• Premier League: Three managerial changes, one preceding an upturn in points per game (QPR) and two a decline (Chelsea, Southampton)
• Championship: Eleven managerial changes, six for the better (Burnley, Blackburn (Berg-Appleton), Ipswich, Bolton, Barnsley, Bristol City) five for the worse (Blackburn (Kean-Berg) Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Blackpool, Wolves)
• League One: Six managerial changes, all for the better (Bournemouth, Doncaster, Coventry, Scunthorpe, Hartlepool, Colchester)
• League Two: Nine managerial changes, six for the better (Bristol Rovers, Plymouth, Chesterfield, Wycombe, Barnet, Wimbledon) three for the worse (Fleetwood, Accrington and Rochdale)

"There often is a dead-cat bounce," he told BBC Sport.

"If you change it around and bring in someone to have a fresh look around that can have an immediate effect.

"In the simplest terms, for an individual player all bets are off again. You start from scratch with a new manager and you need to redouble your efforts to impress him.

"Their spirits are immediately lifted and overall it is a psychological positive.

"I think I was a hell of a lot more reticent that your average chief executive - I only made one change [sacking Billy Davies in 2001] in my four years in charge.

"Every club is different and has a different view, but it is incumbent on you sometimes to take a decision that may not be very popular.

"You may not even really want to take it, but if you truly believe it is for the good of the club long term then you have to make that decision."

The , featuring every club in England's top four divisions, is available on a separate page of the BBC Sport website.

2012-13 Managerial League Table top ten
1. Sir Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	2.48 points per game
2. Eddie Howe	Bournemouth	2.27
3. Malky Mackay	Cardiff	2.17
4. Roberto Mancini	Manchester City	2.12
5. David Flitcroft	Barnsley	2.00
6. Brian Flynn	Doncaster	2.00
7. Steve Kean	Blackburn	2.00
8. Roberto di Matteo	Chelsea	2.00
9. John Ward	Bristol Rovers	2.00
10. Micky Adams	Port Vale	1.96

2012-13 Managerial League Table bottom ten
125. Mark Robson	Barnet	0.27 points per game
124. Mark Hughes	Queens Park Rangers	0.33
123. John Ward	Colchester	0.50
122. Neale Cooper	Hartlepool	0.50
121. Dean Saunders	Wolves	0.50
120. Terry Brown	AFC Wimbledon	0.57
119. Gary Waddock	Wycombe	0.57
118. Paul Jewell	Ipswich	0.58
117. Henning Berg	Blackburn	0.60
116. Mauricio Pochettino	Southampton	0.66

Figures correct as of Thursday, 7 February.